By Paul Miller, Northwest Region

Twenty-six years ago, Angela Cothern (née Cline) was working at Providence Centralia Hospital in Washington State where she saw numerous trauma cases in need of blood transfusions, and the constant shortage of blood.

Motivated by this, she signed up for her first blood drive and has since donated three or four times a year—at the hospital, at drives at Juvenile Court where she worked subsequently, and at the Superior Court of Lewis County.

When Angela first started donating blood, she couldn’t have known how personal it would become.

As a baby, Angela was adopted into her family. Just nine months later, her sister Melissa was born. Melissa was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis at birth and had spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia (SED), a rare bone disease. Doctors thought Melissa would never walk, but she did until an injury in fifth grade required her to use a wheelchair permanently.

Being less than a year apart in age, Angela and Melissa were inseparable.

Melissa had many friends and enjoyed baking, crocheting, and writing poetry. Despite often suffering from chronic pain, she displayed remarkable resilience, a warm smile, and empathy for others. She was a wonderful auntie to Angela’s children, taking care of them after school and baking their favorite cookies for special occasions such as birthdays.

Over the last ten years, however, Melissa was often hospitalized and required blood transfusions as part of her treatment. “I had started my donation journey and always felt like it was helpful to give back because there were many times that she needed many units of blood during hospital stays,” said Angela.

Just four months ago, Angela had to say goodbye to her sister. Melissa passed away in June 2026.  

She now sees her donations as a way to honor her sister’s memory and is even more determined to continue giving blood. “Grieving is super hard, but I will never stop giving back. I will always honor her in this way.”